There have been many attempts to provide steps or ladders which can be utilised to board a boat from the bow. However these have not been widely adopted due to their impractical nature as the bow or “pointy end” of a small boat is a very small area which is generally dominated by the boat's anchoring facilities and any interference in this area which adversely affects setting and retrieving an anchor is unacceptable, as a boat's anchor is a primary safety device.
A further difficulty when launching trailer boats arises due to the need for some of the passengers to board before the boat is launched. Boarding while the boat is on the trailer is often difficult unless special boarding ladders are provided. In addition it is not desirable for the passengers to be aboard while the boat is trailer borne and being transported to the boat launching ramp. Thus boarding and disembarking at a launching ramp often occurs when the boat is floating and this is also undesirable.
This invention aims to provide a boat boarding aid which will facilitate boarding a vessel at the bow during launching from a trailer and in other situations such as at a shoaling beach where it is desirable to motor off stern first to maintain the stern and driving propeller(s) in navigable water.